Faculty Spotlights

Otterbein's faculty inspire in the classroom, their professions and their communities. Read about some of the ways our faculty are making their mark.

Otterbein Professor Kristy McCray Appointed to Columbus Police Advisory Panel

News - June 17, 2020
Otterbein Associate Professor of Health and Sport Sciences Dr. Kristy McCray was appointed by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and city leaders to serve on Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan's new advisory panel.  The Columbus Police Chief’s Advisory Panel is designed to allow community stakeholders to have a meaningful way to provide input into strategies, development of community policing practices, and increasing community transparency into police operations.  “The panel will act as a sounding board for me regarding community needs, concerns, and expectations, as well as provide community feedback to current and proposed police programs…

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Otterbein President Op-Ed: Boost Online Access, Affordability in the College Setting

News - May 26, 2020
It is a good time for prognosticating. With nothing like the COVID-19 pandemic having happened in our lifetimes, and no tried-and-true road map for the future, every prediction can seem just as likely as the next, regardless of how wild. Otterbein President John Comerford Among the predictions now that might seem wild is that the pandemic spells the end of higher education as we know it, with online education poised for world domination. To call it a wild idea would…

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Social Distancing Inspires Literacy Project for Children in Recovery House

News - May 6, 2020
Sue Constable, professor of literacy acquisition and instruction at Otterbein, is leading a project to keep kids engaged in learning in the time of social distancing.  Professor Constable’s sabbatical project is providing 30 women with literacy kits for their infants and children. These women are in residential recovery houses supported by Alvis, Inc., a nonprofit human services agency whose services include research-based, comprehensive family support programs; behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services; recovery housing for women and their children; and services to individuals with developmental disabilities who are trying to live more independently in the community. Alvis serves nearly 8,000 men, women, young…

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This is the oldest scorpion known to science discovered by Otterbein professor

News - January 24, 2020
This is the oldest scorpion known to science Published Jan. 17, 2020

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Otterbein Prof. Robert N. Kraft discusses the importance of ‘adaptive forgetting’

News - January 7, 2020
To improve memory and learning, the brain forgets things on purpose Published Jan. 6, 2020

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Otterbein President Comerford writes op-ed for The Hill

News - January 7, 2020
Higher education must rediscover the 'service ethic' of teaching Published Oct. 15, 2019

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White power, white supremacy, and violence – our expert explains how communication is key in perpetuating racial hatred in the United States

News - October 7, 2019
On August 3, 2019, a white power-inspired gunman killed 24 people and injured 22 others at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas. We tend to understand mass shootings as isolated events committed by “lone wolf” gunmen who might have mental health problems, but what we know about the El Paso gunman – as well as the terrorists who carried out mass killings at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019, the Tree…

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Privilege Creates a Different Starting Line in “Race to the Jobs”

News - September 9, 2019
College is a unique microcosm of society where students from a variety of backgrounds come together in one place. Many times, students have not been exposed to people from backgrounds that differ from their own. I consider this an opportunity to teach my students at Otterbein University about social inequality and privilege. In my Sociology of Sport course, I illustrate to students that the societal “playing field” isn’t always equal for everyone in visible or obvious ways. I use athletics…

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Fair Play: Sexual Violence and College Athletes

News - September 9, 2019
Since the 1990s, we have seen multiple high-profile, even fatal, cases of violence against women at the hands of male intercollegiate athletes. These events and others prompted the Office of Civil Rights to call upon universities to more appropriately investigate and sanction perpetrators of sexual assault. In April 2011, using Title IX as an imperative, the Office for Civil Rights issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) as a call for universities to more swiftly and adequately address incidences of sexual…

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